Mistaken ID Stuns Crash Victims' Families
CALEDONIA, Mich. -- Whitney Cerak and Laura VanRyn looked remarkably alike, both attractive young women with blond hair, similar facial features and the same build and height.
They were together the night of April 26, returning from banquet preparations with a group from Taylor University, when a tractor-trailer slammed into their university van, peeling off the side and killing five people.
Cerak's family was told their 18-year-old was among the dead. VanRyn's parents were told their 22-year-old daughter was alive but seriously injured and in a coma.
The VanRyns kept vigil at the young woman's bedside for weeks, but as she gained consciousness, she began saying things that didn't make sense. This week, they discovered that the recovering patient wasn't their daughter at all. She was Whitney Cerak.
More on this story from the Chicago Tribune
Link to a blog of the Laura VanRyn family. It details the daily improvements of the girl they thought was their daughter/sister.
A joint statement released May 31st by both families
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